Combined door spring and check



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. 1VI. OONNEL.

COMBINED DOOR SPRING AND CHECK.

N0. 368,194. Patented Aug. 16, 1887.

N. PETERS Fhotuvlihoghpher. Washington. D. C.

2 Sheets-Sheet, 2.

(No'ModeI.)

` 'J. M. CONNEL.

COMBINED DCCR SPRING AND CHECK.

No. 868,194. Patented Aug. 16', 1887.

Es'sss:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. CONNEL, OF NEVARK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK RIGHTB'IYER, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

COMBINED DOOR SPRiNG AND CHECK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 368,194, dated August 16, 1887.

Application filed March 30, 1887. Serial No. 232,950. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ,Linus M. CoNNEr., of the city of Newark, county of Licking, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Door Spring and Check, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to improvements in combined door springs and ehecks,the objects ot' my invention being to provide a combined door spring and check which shall be cheap, simple, and'durable in construction, perfectly automatic in its operation, and ot' such construction and arrangement that it will not only insure the automatic closing of thc door with which it is connected, butwill also act as a cheek to retard the rapidity ofthe move` ment of the door in closing at a desired point, thus reducing the force of the blow of the door against the door-frame and rendering the closing of the door noiselcss,orsubstantiallyso.

Another object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the parts ol" the door spring and cheek that the door may be opened to its ['ull extent and retained in place, or may be opened slightly f'or the purpose oi' admitting air (and when it is not desired to have the door wide open) and retained in place against slight resistance.

Another' object of my invention is to so construct and arrange the parts ol' the combined door spring and cheek that the tension ofthe spring which acts upon the door may be quickly and easily increased or decreased to exert more or less force according to the requirement, and to provide means, substantially as hereinafter set forth, whereby thel movement of the door may be checked or retarded at any desired point, and the extent and abruptness of the retardation or checking may be regulated as desired, all of which will be hereinafter fully explained.

Hy invention consists in certain details of construction and in the combination and ar rangement ofthe elements or component parts ofthe combined door spring and check, substantiallyashereinafter described and claimed.

Figure l represents in plan view my improved door spring and check as applied to a door, the full lines representing the door as partially opened and the parts of the device in the position they occupy at the point where the movement of the door is checked or retarded, and the dotted lines showing the door in two other positions, one at right angle to its casing and the other as opened wide, and clearly illustrating the assumed positions of the parts ofthe door spring and check in the different positions ofthe door; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same, partially in section; Fig. 3, enlarged details, partially in section, of the swivel cheek-head and checking mechanism connected therewith, said gnre also showing a portion of the check-springand its supporting-arm and the devices to regulate thc adjust ment ol the check-spring with relation to its supporting-arm; Fig. 4L, an enlarged detail, partially in section, ofthe sliding head which regulates the tension of the door-operating spring. Fig. 5 illustrates details of a modified form of device for checking the movement of the door. Fig. 6 illustrates in side elevation', partially in section, a modiiied form of bracket and sliding head. said bracket being shown as extensible and T-shuped; and Fig. 7, a plan view of the same.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the top or transom sill. oi' the door-easing; B, the side sill, and O the door.

Secured to the .top or transom sill, A, ap-

proximately ou a line central with relation to thehinges ot' the door, is an outwardly-projecting bracket, D, said bracket being constructed with an attaching-plate, a, an outwardly-projecting arm, a2, and two horizontally-parallel arms, a ai. These arms, forming a U-shaped terminal to the bracket, are slightly remote from each other and extend parallel with relation tothe door-casing.

Removably and adjustably secured to the arm a' of the bracket D sasliding head or device, E, which regulates the tension ol` the door-operating spring F, which door-spring is pivotally secured to a stud or pintle, b, at the lower end of the sliding head E, through the medium of ajaw or its equivalent, c', which engages the stud or pintle b', as clcarl y illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawings. i

p The door-operating spring IF is pivotally se cured at its opposite end, through the me IOO dium of a jaw or equivalent, to an upwardlyprojecting stud or pintle, d', upon an outwardly-projecting arm, d2, of a bracket, G, se-

cured to the door C near its upper end, and at a point considerably remote from thebracket D, which is secured to the transom-sill.

By reference to the drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noticed that the pivotal points of the door operating spring` are horizontally aligned with each other, and when the door is closed a line drawn through the axes of the pivotal points will be parallel` with the plane of the door.

As shown in the drawings, a serpentine or corrugated flat spring is employed to operate the door, vsaid spring being set up edgewise with its broad face in a vertical plane. By the employment of such a spring I am enabled to secure the maximum amount of elasticity, 3 as the tension of thespring is in the direction of its grain or length, and on account of its peculiar construction its yielding is uniform and substantially from end to end.

I do not desire to limit myself, however, to

5 this exact construction of spring, as it is obvious that a wire spring of spiral form might be employed which would accomplish thesame end, but (in my opinion) with results not equally as good, as it is well known that a spiral spring when expanded or contracted has a more or less torsional or twisting movement, and that the greatest elasticity is at the center between its ends, and the end coils yield butlittle, if any. y

5 The sliding head E, as shown in detail, Fig. 4, is slotted centrally in the direction of its width, as at e', and loosely engages the arm a4 of the bracket D, which arm enters and eX- tends through the slot e'; and the head E is D also providedy with ay set-screw, e2, which preferably extends through its front face and contacts at the shank with the arm al to hold the head E in adjusted position upon the bracket. It is obvious, however, that the set- 5 .screw may extend through the top instead of the front face of the head E, if desired.

By constructing the bracket D, as shown and described, with the terminal arm ax parallel with relation to the door-casing and approximately aligned with the pivotal stud d of the bracket Gr, to which one end of the spring F is secured, and by constructing the head E, which slides upon the terminal arm a* of the bracket D, and to which the opposite end of the spring F is attached, I am enabled to depress or expand the spring to increase or decrease its tension in a horizontal line with its axes or pivotal points, thus obtaining a uniform tension from end to end.

o When it is desired to increase the tension of the door-operating spring F, (the door being normally closed,) the sliding head is moved to the left toward the terminus of the arm a* of the bracket D,which decreases the distance 5 between the pivotal points or ends of the' spring, contracts its corrugations, and curves the spring inward toward the door, the radius of the curve being greater or less, according to the distance that the sliding head E is moved upon the bracket and the extent of tension imparted to the spring thereby.

Pivotally secured to the forward end of the bracket G, which is secured to the door C, is a door-checking device, H. This checking device consists, essentially, of a casing, f', slotted transversely at its lower end, as shown at f2, Fig. 3, and is provided centrally with a stud at its lower face, by means of which it is pivotal] y secured to the end of the door-bracket G, and is cored or bored out centrally at its upper end to form an annularV chamber, f3,

communicating with the transverse slot f 2, and g .Extended through the transverse slot f2 of the casing f', with its end terminating at a point more or less remote from the outer edge of the casing, is a check-spring-supporting arm, I, which arm is pivotally secured at its opposite end to the stud or pintle b of the sliding head E, which is movably secured to the bracket` D, as before described, and as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2 ol the drawings, This arm I, preferably curved horizontally in the direction of its width, as shown in Fig. l, (its radins being more or less, according to the requirements,) will in practice be slotted centrally and vertically in the direction of its length near its ends, as shown at g', Figs. l, 2, and 3. The upper face of the supportingarm I will preferably be on a horizontal plane with the lower edge of the door-spring F.

Adjustably secured to the upper face of the arm I by means of screw-bolts or equivalents extended through the slot g is an upwardlycurved sheet-metal spring or strap, J, which acts, together with the checking mechanism bcfore described, as a check to retard or obstruct the impetuous motion of the door at a desired point,when the door-spring F is oper` ating to close the same,to thereby reduce the force of the blow,which would otherwise be objectionable,and render the closing of the door substantially noiseless, which isa great de- 'Sideratuim Pivotally secured between depending ears f9 upon the head fof the plungerfis a roller, f, which roller is retained positively in con.

tact with the upper face of the check-spring J, said spring being projected through the transverse slot f2 in the casingf, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, the frictional pressure ofthe roller f10 upon the checkspring J being detei-mined and regulated by the stress of the spiral spring f ,exerted upon the head of the lll plunger f4, this pressure being increased or decreased, as required, by simply turning the cap f7 of the casing f to lower or raise it, which contracts the spiral spring or allows it to expand,to thereby exert more or less force.

By constructing the checking device as described and providing the plunger-head with a roller to contact with the check-spring I not only secure the desired pressure upon the check-spring,but obviate wearing friction that would ensue ifa rigid or fixed device were employed to contact with the check-spring. It will be understood, however, that [do not desire to limit myself to the employment of a revolving bearing for the check-spring; neither do I desire to limit myself to the construction of checking deviceillustrated in Fig. 3, as, for instance, a casing might be provided having a pivoted gravity pawl or cam, l1, to contact with the check-spring J, as illustrated in Fig. 5, (during the operation ofclosing the door,) and the check-spring might be fixed to its supporting-arm near the pivoted end ofthe arm, and a set-screw could be extended through the opposite free end of the arm to contact with the under face of the check-spring to elevate or depress it. rIhe construction illustrated in details, Fig. 3, is, however, preferable.

On acconntof the pivotal connection of the checking device H and the door-bracket G said device will turn'on its axis during the movement of the door and 'conform itself to the different positions that the supporting-arm I and check spring J assume in their movements.

By reference to the drawings it will be noA ticed that the check-spring J is curved upward in such manner as to form a gradual incline from its rearend,or the end nearest thebracket D, its greatest height or'apex being near its forward end, at which point the radius of the curve is greatly decreased to form an abrupt incline from this point forward.

In practice, the greatest elevation of the spring` with relation to its supporting-arm I will be at the point it is desired to greatly retard or decrease the movement of the door in closing, as, per example, it' it is desired to cheek the movement ofthe door at about one foot from a closed position the check-spring will be so arranged or adjusted upon its arm I that its greatest height or apex will be at a point in line with the center of the pivoted checking device when the door is opened about one foot.

rIhe operation of the door spring and check is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position they occupy when the door is open at right angles to the door-frame, a slight pressure against the door moves it toward a closed position, the door-spring carrying it rapidly forward, together with the bracket G and checking device H, the checking device moving along the supporting-arm I until the friction-roller begins to ascend the incline of the check-spring J, at which point the impetuous movement ofthe door is, on account of the pressure exerted upon it by the spiral springf, somewhat decreased and retarded, and gradually becomes lessened asthe roller approaches the extreme height or apex of the checkspring in consequence of the increased tension ofthe spiral spri ngfi, caused by the roller and plunger, to which it is attached, being forced upward, at which point the velocity of the movement of the door is sufficiently decreased as to obviate noise in closing, and the checking device, after overriding the apex, abruptly descends theshort incline, when the door is closed noiselessly, or substantially so.

rIhe tension ofthe spiral springf, which operates the plunger and friction-roller, and which keeps said roller positively in contact with the check-spring, will be regulated, as before stated, by raising or lowering the cap f", secured to the upper end of the easing j", according to the height or inclination of the check-spring with relation to its supportingarm, and according to the weight ofthe door to which the devices are attached and the amount of work to be performed by each of the several parts.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, I have shown the bracket D, which is secured tothe transom-sill of the door, as telescopic in construetion-that is, it is constructe'd in two pieces, ZZ', the one, Z, of which slides within the one, Z-so that the length of the bracket lnay be increased or decreased,as may be desired, and instead of providing two parallel arms at the end, as illustrated in Fig. 1, it has a single cross-bar, Z2, at its end, the sides of which project a short distance above and below the upper and lower faces of the arm Z of the bracket D. The sliding head E, as shown in Fig. 6, has a portion of its rear wall cut away, so as to providean upwardly and downwardly projecting flange, m, to engage the rear face of' the bar l", said fianges being sufficiently short as to permit the head E to slide along the bar Z2 from end to end without contacting with the arm Z' of the bracket D. A set-screw, a, is extended through the arm l ofthe bracket D, and contacts with the arm Z/ to hold the same in adjusted position. By this construction I am enabled to increase the distance between the sliding head E, which forms one pivotal point ofthe doorspring F, and the door-casing, which will tend to stretch the spring somewhat when the door is closed or opened wide; and in another position of the door-as when it is at right angles to the easing*the distance between the pivotal points of the door-spring is considerably decreased, thus giving to thc spring the greatest resistance when the door is at right angles, or approximately so, to the casing.

I claiml. A combined door spring and check comprising a supporting-bracket fixed to the transom-sill of the door, having two horizontallyparallel arms at its end more or less remote lfrom each other to form a U-shaped terminal IOO LII

in a line parallel to the door-frame, a sliding head adj ustabl y and removably secured to one of the arms of the said bracket, a bracket lixed to the door and having a projecting stud or pintlc, a spring pivotally secured at its ends to the stud of the door-bracket and to a stud upon the sliding head, and a door-checking device pivotally connected with the two brackets, substantially as described.

2. In a combined door spring and check, the combination, with a door-operating spring pivoted at one end to a bracket secured to the door and at its `opposite end to a sliding head adjustably secured to a bracket lixed to the transom-sill or door-casing, of a door-checking mechanism consisting of an arm pivoted at one end to thesliding head, a curved spring.

fixed to thearm, a head or checking` device pivoted to the arm of the door-bracket, and means to create friction between the curved spring fixed to the arm and the pivoted checking device,whcreby the momentum of the door in closing may be decreased or retarded, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a combined door spring and check, a door-spring, 4, pivotally secured at one end to a stud, d, upon a bracket, G, secured to the door, and at the opposite e'nd to a stud, b', upon a head, E, adj ustabl y secured to abracket,

D, fixed to the transomsill, in combination with a checking mechanism to cheek the momentum of the door in closing, consisting of the arm I, pivotally secured at one end to the stud of the sliding head E, an upwardlycurved check-spring, J, secured to the arm I, a slottedl head or checking device, I-I, pivoted to the bracket G, through which the arm I and spring J are extended, and a device, substantially as described, to impinge the spring during the movement ol' the door, as shown and set forth.

4. The combination, in a combined door spring and check having the supportingbracketsD and G, and spring F, pivoted at one end to bracket G, as described, of the checkspring-supporting arm I, the upwardly-curved cheek-spring J, removably and adj ustably secured thereto by means of screw-bolts or equivalents extended through elongated slots in the arm I, and a slotted head or checking device, II, pivoted to the door-bracket G, through which the arm I and spring J extend, and means, substantially as described, connccted with said swivelhead or checking device II to impinge the check-spring J and retard or decrease the impctuous movement of the door in closing, all substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a combined door spring and check having-the supporting-brackets D and G, sccured to the transom-sill and door, respecttively, aud pivoted door-operating spring, as described, the combination therewith ot' the arm I, curved outwardly in a horizontal plane, and having elongated slots g, formed therethrough near its ends, the check-spring J, adjustably secured to the arm by bolts extended through the. slots g in the arm I and through perforations in the spring, and the transversely-slotted checking device or head I-I, pivoted to the lbracket G, and having the spring-operated plunger, a part of which bears upon the cheek-spring J to check the movement of the door, all substantially as described and shown.

6. In a combined door spring and cheek, the combination, with the pivoted arm I, its upwardly curved check spring J, and the door-bracket G, of the casing f', pivoted to the bracket G, and having the transverse opening f2, vertical chamber or openingj', the plunger f located within the chamber f 3, and having the pivoted roller fl0 at its lower end to contact with the cheek-spring J, the spiral spring ff,located within the chamberfa, and bearing against the head of the plunger to force it downward, and the screw-cap f7 at the upper end of' the `easing to regulate the tension of the spring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, in a door spring and cheek having the bracket G secured to the door, and spring F, pivoted to said bracket, of the bracket D,secured to the transom-sill,and having the outwardlyprojecting arm a? and the two end arms, c ct, parallel to each other and with relation to the door-casing, the one, ct, extending in the direction of the axis of the spring F, and thehead E, to which the opposite end of the spring F is pivoted, having the transverse slot c' to override the arm ct* of the bracket, and having the set-screw c2 to impinge the arm et and secure the head E in ad]- listed position thereon, substantially as and for the purpose described.

S. In a combined door springl and check, the bracket D, having the spring-regulating head E adj ustably secured thereto, the bracket G, having the pin or stud d thereon, and the serpentine spring F, )ivoted at its ends tothe stud d and to a stud, b', up`on the head E, said brackets being of such construction that when the door is closed a line drawn through the axes of the spring will be in ahorizontal plane with relation to the door, in combination with the cheek-spring supporting arm I, curved, as described, the upwardly-curved check-spring J, adjustably secured thereto, the swivel-head or checking device H, pivoted to the bracket G, having the transverse opening f2, through which the arm I and spring J are extended, the plunger f4, contained in the casing f of the swivel-head I'I, and having the head f2, stem f", and depending ears, between which is pivoted a lfriction-roller, f", and a spiral spring, f, to keep the roller pressed downward, and means, as described, to regulate the tension of the spring, all substantially as shown and described. l

9. In a combined door spring and check, the combination of the bracket G, secured to the door, the spring F, pivoted thereto, the extensible bracket D, secured to the transomsill, constructed ol' a series of pieces and made.

ICC

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adjustable in the direction of its length or at right angles to the doorcasing, and having an arm at its forward end, as shown, the sliding head E, adjustably secured to said arm, and set-screws to hold the parts of the bracket D and the sliding head E in adjusted positions, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

l0. In a combined door spring and check, the combination, with the spring F, of the telescopic bracket D, consisting of the two arms Z Z', constructed to slide one within the other, as shown, the one, Z, having the crossbar Z2 at its end, the sides of which project above the upper and lower faces ofthe arm Z',

JAMES M. ooNNEL. [L s] In presence of N. E. C. WHITNEY, C. L. STEELE. 

